Ordering F-350 7.3 CCLB SRW - how big of camper can I get?

[BeMurda]

My wife and I want to order a single rear wheel 1 ton truck for the primary purpose of truck camping with our 2 year old boy - and we hope we can have a second living child. We are looking to use it for both weekend and longer trips. We live in Northern Canada and the truck will be our second vehicle when the camper is not being used (we will probably leave the camper on over summer and off in the winter except if we drive south). Only one of us will commute which means it's not an everyday car to drive. We would like to stick to single rear wheel based on our conversations. We have never owned a truck before.

Here is the build I have made to try to get max payload with 11,900 GVWR which I think will be above 4,400lbs:

F-350 SuperCrew 4x4 8’ bed Lariat with the following options:
-7.3L gas
-4.30 gears
-Lariat UItimate Package
-Snow Plow / Camper Package
-Skid Plates - Transfer Case and Fuel Tank
-400 Amp dual alternator w/ dual batteries
-LED Roof Clearance Lights


We'd like as much space as possible in a truck camper for a decent used price given the small child and desire to have another. I found a 2010 Lance 950S with a dry weight of 3120lbs. It seems pretty ideal, another option would be an Adventurer 901SB or a used Wolf Creek.

What weight camper could I get with this build? Any advice? Thank you.

[Grit_dog]

@terrybk, I don’t believe steel wheels (speaking OE vs OE) are rated any higher or stronger than aluminum wheels. Nor do I have a reason to believe that they are weaker.
Fwiw, the 1000s of work trucks I’ve been around for the last 35 years that get the absolute snot beat out of them traditionally were steel wheels as they’re usually base model trucks. Never seen a rim failure yet.

[Grit_dog]

kirkl wrote:
Glad I didnt check on this site before I bought my camper, I would of had to updrade to a DRW to haul my 1725lb dry camper on my ram 2500 lol

If you read enough you may have ended up in a 5500 flat bed!

[kirkl]

Glad I didnt check on this site before I bought my camper, I would of had to updrade to a DRW to haul my 1725lb dry camper on my ram 2500 lol

[Grit_dog]

JRscooby wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

BeMurda wrote:
Seems like I should order a DRW, I think I will go that direction and figure out how to live with it.

Hard to understand someone else’s thought process and frankly NOMB (none of my business). But I’d suggest if you can drive someone’s srw setup and get a feel for it first, that’s better than the potential buyers remorse of having a “hippy” truck that you otherwise don’t want or need.

I wonder what makes the truck harder to maneuver in tight places, extra length or extra width?
Super crew cab and 8 foot bed will be long enough to get stuck in both ditches at the same time. And I don't think the fenders will stick out past the camper. If, as OP stated, most of the use will be with camper loaded, why even think about not buying best setup for that use?

No you don’t “wonder”, you know. But we all know you’re a professional driver. That makes a difference.
Although to be fair much of the dually concern is negated by the OPs location. Not a lot of city drivin in Northern Canada. Unless he means Edmonton as that’s the only real city that might be considered Northern Canada. Either way the extra tires are a hinderance once the ground turns white.
It’s the OPs first truck. Prolly find out he likes driving it in general more than whatever in Northern Canada. But that’s as much supposition on my part as yours.
The other fact is, the majority of the time it’s not hauling a camper, there will be snow.

But it’s always a compromise. Have a truck that’s better for hauling a large camper and have a truck that’s worse at other things the rest of the time, or vice versa.

[JRscooby]

mellow wrote:

JRscooby wrote:
I wonder what makes the truck harder to maneuver in tight places, extra length or extra width?

Once you drive an F350 DRW without the wide track frontend you will go..ooohh that is what they are talking about.

Well, for a while I had a F150 Extended cab (not 4 door, just jump seat for kids), 8foot bed, and a F350 regular cab, duel wheel, 8 ft foot bed, at the same time. Now the 150 was mostly used as a car, and often PITA in parking lots. The 350 was used mostly for work, or commuting on days weather turned bad, left bicycle at work, but if I did stop at store, parking was no more of a problem.
And the number of wheels under it will not change width of camper.

[mellow]

JRscooby wrote:
I wonder what makes the truck harder to maneuver in tight places, extra length or extra width?

Once you drive an F350 DRW without the wide track frontend you will go..ooohh that is what they are talking about.

[JRscooby]

Grit dog wrote:

BeMurda wrote:
Seems like I should order a DRW, I think I will go that direction and figure out how to live with it.

Hard to understand someone else’s thought process and frankly NOMB (none of my business). But I’d suggest if you can drive someone’s srw setup and get a feel for it first, that’s better than the potential buyers remorse of having a “hippy” truck that you otherwise don’t want or need.

I wonder what makes the truck harder to maneuver in tight places, extra length or extra width?
Super crew cab and 8 foot bed will be long enough to get stuck in both ditches at the same time. And I don't think the fenders will stick out past the camper. If, as OP stated, most of the use will be with camper loaded, why even think about not buying best setup for that use?

[mellow]

Once you go from an SRW to a DRW you will understand the stability aspect, it is a night and day difference in ride.

My first ride with my 1191 in the DRW my jaw was on the ground with the ride difference coming from an SRW with same camper.

[jimh406]

terrybk wrote:
I didn't remotely suggest SRW and DRW are the same. My point is the word "stability". It's never defined. More tires allows more weight but they don't make the roll/tilting any different. That's in the suspension.

Stability is defined all over the internet, but the fact is SRWs and DRWs don't have the same suspension.

Google it or don't.

[terrybk]

jimh406 wrote:

terrybk wrote:
As far as "stability" of a dually, I've never been sure what that means. Most lean is in the springs/suspension not the number of tire. No doubt more tires increase number 5 above (GVWR) but they have little effect on sway and leaning or "stability."

All else being equal, shorter wider tires are more stable. DRW obviously has more width.

The suspensions are not the same. The spring packs are different on a DRW. The rear differentials are also different. Furthermore, they have different brakes. Both because the intended use is to haul more weight.

I started with a SRW, and changed to a DRW when I no longer needed a SRW as my daily driver to fit in parking spaces. With my SRW, I avoided carrying anything extra down to reducing the amount of water I carried. I have no issues any more with what I carry. I even towed a TT behind on a trip a few years ago over 500 miles each way.

By all means, buy a SRW if you want or need one, but let's not pretend they are equivalent or close to the same. They are literally made for different purposes. As noted, brakes are different, so stopping is incredibly different as well.

I didn't remotely suggest SRW and DRW are the same. My point is the word "stability". It's never defined. More tires allows more weight but they don't make the roll/tilting any different. That's in the suspension.

[terrybk]

Grit dog wrote:

terrybk wrote:
I see the order of importance as (descending):

1. Tire ratings as measured against the axle weights. Most of the camper weight is on the rear tires.
2. Physical axle rating (the actual axle, not the RAWR). Most of the camper weight is on the rear bearings.
3. Rear axle weight rating (RAWR) - Most of the camper weight is here.
4. Front axle weight rating (FAWR)
5. Gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR)

The gross (GVWR) is primarily a function of the tires, axle and frame/suspension. A dually and SRW of the same series (3500/350) almost always have the same frame. The rating goes up because of the tires. For a long time manufacturers capped the GVWR of SRW trucks at 9900lbs for registration and tax reasons. Throw two more tires on there and you get 11k+ rating. This is not a comparison of 2500/250 to 3500/350. That is a totally different topic.

I'm not suggestion or endorsing exceeding any rating but this is the list I considered when sizing my camper to my truck.

As far as "stability" of a dually, I've never been sure what that means. Most lean is in the springs/suspension not the number of tire. No doubt more tires increase number 5 above (GVWR) but they have little effect on sway and leaning or "stability." At least I have never experienced a difference. A big sway bar, air bags and good springs go a long way to limit leaning. If you need an extra tire out there to keep the camper and truck from falling over, you have bigger issues.

Certainly, if you are pushing the truck hard in a turn, more tires tend to give more friction on a dry surface and help keep the truck back end from swinging out. Try an over-sized trailer on an SRW in tight downhills if you want a high pucker factor. You can feel the rear want to get pushed sideways.

The labels on the camper and truck are a rough starting point but you have to weight everything - period. Everything else is a guess. The campers always weight more than their labels and the truck weight can vary too. It's hard to decide if a camper is "too much" before you buy it, but you can with some research get close enough to move forward or rule out a rig. Ask on the forums if anyone has actually weight there rig together and separately. You can learn a lot.

Scales - they are your best friend.

Essentially what he said. But I'll add rim load rating right up there with tires. Both of which are nowhere near their failure point at their rated loads. Regardless of what anyone says, tires and OE rims have a large factor of safety. It's a simple function of the liability of mfgs in the event of a failure (and years of "experience" doing stuff with trucks that should have had bigger trucks do it...lol). Not recommending grossly overloading, but in the context of this scenario, putting 8klbs (4500lb camper and 3500lb truck axle weight) on 3600lb rated rims and tires is 400lbs "over" or just over 10%. Again, not advocating it publicly for others, take it for what it's worth. lol

Good point on rims. I'll insert that for anyone that sees it in the future. My 2005 3500 has steel wheels because the 2500 aluminum weren't rated high enough.

I was thinking about bouncing and the pressures the tires experience when 4000lbs comes down on a bounce. Agreed. The tires can handle a lot more.

[terrybk]

What does "stable" mean?

[Grit_dog]

terrybk wrote:
I see the order of importance as (descending):

1. Tire ratings as measured against the axle weights. Most of the camper weight is on the rear tires.
2. Physical axle rating (the actual axle, not the RAWR). Most of the camper weight is on the rear bearings.
3. Rear axle weight rating (RAWR) - Most of the camper weight is here.
4. Front axle weight rating (FAWR)
5. Gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR)

The gross (GVWR) is primarily a function of the tires, axle and frame/suspension. A dually and SRW of the same series (3500/350) almost always have the same frame. The rating goes up because of the tires. For a long time manufacturers capped the GVWR of SRW trucks at 9900lbs for registration and tax reasons. Throw two more tires on there and you get 11k+ rating. This is not a comparison of 2500/250 to 3500/350. That is a totally different topic.

I'm not suggestion or endorsing exceeding any rating but this is the list I considered when sizing my camper to my truck.

As far as "stability" of a dually, I've never been sure what that means. Most lean is in the springs/suspension not the number of tire. No doubt more tires increase number 5 above (GVWR) but they have little effect on sway and leaning or "stability." At least I have never experienced a difference. A big sway bar, air bags and good springs go a long way to limit leaning. If you need an extra tire out there to keep the camper and truck from falling over, you have bigger issues.

Certainly, if you are pushing the truck hard in a turn, more tires tend to give more friction on a dry surface and help keep the truck back end from swinging out. Try an over-sized trailer on an SRW in tight downhills if you want a high pucker factor. You can feel the rear want to get pushed sideways.

The labels on the camper and truck are a rough starting point but you have to weight everything - period. Everything else is a guess. The campers always weight more than their labels and the truck weight can vary too. It's hard to decide if a camper is "too much" before you buy it, but you can with some research get close enough to move forward or rule out a rig. Ask on the forums if anyone has actually weight there rig together and separately. You can learn a lot.

Scales - they are your best friend.

Essentially what he said. But I'll add rim load rating right up there with tires. Both of which are nowhere near their failure point at their rated loads. Regardless of what anyone says, tires and OE rims have a large factor of safety. It's a simple function of the liability of mfgs in the event of a failure (and years of "experience" doing stuff with trucks that should have had bigger trucks do it...lol). Not recommending grossly overloading, but in the context of this scenario, putting 8klbs (4500lb camper and 3500lb truck axle weight) on 3600lb rated rims and tires is 400lbs "over" or just over 10%. Again, not advocating it publicly for others, take it for what it's worth. lol

[jimh406]

terrybk wrote:
As far as "stability" of a dually, I've never been sure what that means. Most lean is in the springs/suspension not the number of tire. No doubt more tires increase number 5 above (GVWR) but they have little effect on sway and leaning or "stability."

All else being equal, shorter wider tires are more stable. DRW obviously has more width.

The suspensions are not the same. The spring packs are different on a DRW. The rear differentials are also different. Furthermore, they have different brakes. Both because the intended use is to haul more weight.

I started with a SRW, and changed to a DRW when I no longer needed a SRW as my daily driver to fit in parking spaces. With my SRW, I avoided carrying anything extra down to reducing the amount of water I carried. I have no issues any more with what I carry. I even towed a TT behind on a trip a few years ago over 500 miles each way.

By all means, buy a SRW if you want or need one, but let's not pretend they are equivalent or close to the same. They are literally made for different purposes. As noted, brakes are different, so stopping is incredibly different as well.

[terrybk]

I see the order of importance as (descending):

1. Tire and rim ratings as measured against the axle weights. Most of the camper weight is on the rear tires.
2. Physical axle rating (the actual axle, not the RAWR). Most of the camper weight is on the rear bearings.
3. Rear axle weight rating (RAWR) - Most of the camper weight is here.
4. Front axle weight rating (FAWR)
5. Gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR)

The gross (GVWR) is primarily a function of the tires, axle and frame/suspension. A dually and SRW of the same series (3500/350) almost always have the same frame. The rating goes up because of the tires. For a long time manufacturers capped the GVWR of SRW trucks at 9900lbs for registration and tax reasons. Throw two more tires on there and you get 11k+ rating. This is not a comparison of 2500/250 to 3500/350. That is a totally different topic.

I'm not suggestion or endorsing exceeding any rating but this is the list I considered when sizing my camper to my truck.

As far as "stability" of a dually, I've never been sure what that means. Most lean is in the springs/suspension not the number of tire. No doubt more tires increase number 5 above (GVWR) but they have little effect on sway and leaning or "stability." At least I have never experienced a difference. A big sway bar, air bags and good springs go a long way to limit leaning. If you need an extra tire out there to keep the camper and truck from falling over, you have bigger issues.

Certainly, if you are pushing the truck hard in a turn, more tires tend to give more friction on a dry surface and help keep the truck back end from swinging out. Try an over-sized trailer on an SRW in tight downhills if you want a high pucker factor. You can feel the rear want to get pushed sideways.

The labels on the camper and truck are a rough starting point but you have to weight everything - period. Everything else is a guess. The campers always weight more than their labels and the truck weight can vary too. It's hard to decide if a camper is "too much" before you buy it, but you can with some research get close enough to move forward or rule out a rig. Ask on the forums if anyone has actually weight there rig together and separately. You can learn a lot.

Scales - they are your best friend.

Edit: Added rim ratings as being as important as tire ratings.